He was born in Preston, Lancashire and was considered to be the star pupil at Julius OLSSON and Algernon Mayow TALMAGE's school (1902-04), then trained in Paris at Colarossi's under Delacluse before returning to St Ives in 1906. He sold Street St Ives at NAG in the summer of 1910.

In 1912 and 1913 Park used a Polperro exhibiting address. He may not have been a full-time resident, over-wintering either in Plymouth or Brixton, but he took a studio in the Coombes, Polperro, from July to September each year, and ran painting classes in the village. The vast majority of his output during those years, and in 1914, were Polperro scenes.

With his distinctive rendering of colour and light, he was best known for his brilliantly coloured impressionistic depictions of boats in St Ives harbour. he was also a painter of still life. In WWI he served in East Surrey Regiment, and married his wife Peggy in 1919. The couple lived in St Ives by 1921, moving to 3 Bowling Green in 1923. In the Show Day of 1924, he exhibited with the paintings he was sending away to the RA. They included the largest, Drying Sails, another of St Ives with the herring fishing in full swing, Herring Time St Ives, and the third, Souvenir from France, depicting the entrance to the harbour of La Rochelle.

Nowadays, he is probably the most highly regarded of the St Ives resident members of STISA at that time. He moved to London 1933, where his studio in Maida Vale was close to that of Dorothea SHARP and Marcella SMITH. But he returned to St Ives in 1940, where he felt more at home. Sadly, he died almost penniless in Preston, his wife having predeceased him (1957, Torquay). Sven BERLIN said, "He painted like an angel - simply cathedrals of light." WORMLEIGHTON celebrated his life with his biography, Morning Tide: John Anthony Park and the Painters of Light.